lite

¹ American  

[lahyt] / laɪt /

adjective

1. noting a commercial product that is low in calories or low in any substance considered undesirable, as compared with a product of the same type: used especially in labeling or advertising commercial products.

   lite beer.

2. noting a version that is comparatively less extreme, profound, advanced, etc., than the typical version (often used postpositively): The lite version of the app is available for mobile download.

   The film glossed over the dangers of the experiment with a science-lite explanation.

   The lite version of the app is available for mobile download.

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noun

1. light.

-lite ² American  

1. a combining form used in the names of minerals or fossils.

   aerolite; chrysolite.

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lite ¹ British  

/ laɪt /

adjective

1. (of food and drink) containing few calories or little alcohol or fat

2. denoting a more restrained or less extreme version of a person or thing

   reggae lite

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-lite ² British  

combining form

1. (in names of minerals) stone Compare -lith

   chrysolite

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Usage

What does -lite mean? The combining form -lite is used like a suffix meaning “mineral” or "fossil." It is often used in scientific terms, especially in mineralogy.The form -lite comes from Greek líthos, meaning “stone.” The Latin translation of líthos is saxum, meaning “stone,” as in saxifrage, a plant named for its tendency to grow in the clefts in rocks.What are variants of -lite?In some rare instances, -lite is spelled with a -y-, becoming -lyte. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about -lyte.

Other Word Forms

• liteness noun

Etymology

Origin of lite¹

First recorded in 1965–70; an informal, simplified spelling of light ² ( def. )

Origin of -lite²

< French, simplified form of -lithe < Greek líthos stone; similarly German -lit, earlier -lith

Example Sentences

In short, epigenetics is, at most, Lamarckism lite.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

A "lite" version of the Blued app remains available on Chinese app stores, according to checks by the BBC.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

It feels, on the ground, like Y2K lite.

From Slate • Jul. 19, 2024

From diet and "lite" foods and drinks to expensive "superfoods," one constant across these changing trends has been the moralization of food as "good" or "bad."

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2023

And I’ve never been so grateful in my life to have someone to worry about me lite that.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish